Immigrants & refugees

Writing from our researchers this year

Dec 18, 2024
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Precarious work, and the impacts of precarity on the lives of British Columbians and temporary foreign workers, is the focus of the Understanding Precarity project co-directed by CCPA-BC and was addressed by a number of researchers. Here are some highlights…. View Article
A convenient distraction: racism

A convenient distraction: Is racist messaging being used in BC’s provincial election?

Oct 11, 2024
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Ever since the economy started to slow down, the political discourse in BC has shifted dramatically. Immigrants and international students are blamed for the housing crisis and for driving down wages; people experiencing homelessness, addiction or mental health crises are blamed for making public spaces “unsafe” and engaging in crime; and basic steps towards meaningful reconciliation with First Nations are framed as threats to our economic prosperity. … View Article
Deportable by design – banner

Exploitable and deportable by design: Why migrant workers’ housing is harmful to their health

Sep 11, 2024
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Canada’s treatment of migrant workers is drawing international scrutiny after UN investigator Tomoya Obokata warned that its Temporary Foreign Worker Program “serves as a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery, as it institutionalizes asymmetries of power that favour employers and prevent workers from exercising their rights.” Migrants, activists, and researchers, however, have known for… View Article

Addressing the racism of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Sep 2, 2024
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There is renewed attention on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in the wake of the recent damning report from the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery that calls the program “a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.” Yet, the central critiques and recommendations made in the UN report are being ignored… View Article
Beyond recovery panel discussion

Beyond Recovery: A paradox in COVID-19 pandemic recovery | Panel discussion

Apr 23, 2024
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This year, the CCPA–BC Office, in collaboration with SFU Faculty of Health Science researchers and UNITE HERE Local 40, published ‘A paradox in COVID-19 pandemic recovery: Increased precarity of women hotel workers in British Columbia’. A panel discussion held on April 10 featured the report’s authors and hotel industry workers. They explored the report’s findings,… View Article